October 11, 2012 08:18 PM CDTOctober 11, 2012 08:18 PM CDTLonghorns 'laid an egg' last season; now David Ash must win games

Longhorns 'laid an egg' last season; now David Ash must win games

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Elisabeth Dillon/AP

Running backs: The Sooners are no slouch at this position, with last year’s leading rusher, Dominique Whaley, suddenly taking a back seat to the lightning-fast JUCO transfer Damien Williams. But few teams boast a stable of RBs like Texas. Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown (assuming he’s healthy enough to play) are freight trains who wear down a defense as well as any tandem in the nation. Five-star freshman Johnathan Gray has come on strong of late and adds an element of speed to the backfield, while Daje Johnson and D.J. Monroe, both of whom can be game-breakers, figure to each get a touch or two when Texas wants a big play. EDGE: Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas
quarterback David Ash heard the talk in the offseason about being a
game manager. The Longhorns didn't need a quarterback to win games, fans
said. They just needed one who wouldn't lose them.

Ash said all
the rights things, too. He said he would spend the entire season handing
off to running backs as long as it meant winning.

But inside, Ash had to know he had more to offer. He could throw. He could move the chains. He could win.

The sophomore who was simply overwhelmed as a freshman in last season's 55-17 loss to Oklahoma returns to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas
this week to face the No. 13 Sooners (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) as not just a
game manager, but the best, most consistent offensive player for No. 15 Texas (4-1, 1-1).

Ash,
who split time last season with Case McCoy, emerged from training camp
as the starter. Brown insisted those two were battling for the job, but
Ash's play so far this season suggests he had wrapped up all along.

Ash
has gone from game manager to the third-rated passer in the country
with 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns with only one interception. He drove Texas
to the winning touchdown on the road at Oklahoma State in the final two
minutes, throwing a fourth-down pass into tight coverage on a play that
would have all but ended the game with an incompletion.

That play
more than any other showed how much he's grown up and taken control of
the offense. Oozing confidence, Ash threw the ball in the only spot his
receiver could catch it.

"If it gets picked off, who cares at that
point? Gun it in there and hope the guy makes a play for you," Ash
said. "You're either going to get it or you're not ... Sometimes it
comes down to you've got to make a play."

Ash is a different
quarterback than the raw freshman who was swamped by Oklahoma defenders
last year. Ash didn't expect to play much last season but starter
Garrett Gilbert was hurt in the second game and elected to transfer. Ash
and McCoy split the starting role the rest of the way.

The
rivalry with the Sooners, where emotions run high, can be tough even on
experienced quarterbacks. Ash simply wasn't ready yet and had two of Texas' five turnovers. The Sooners had eight sacks.

"We laid an egg," Brown said. "We were out of the game before it started. It got out of hand fast."

Ash had never been to the game in person and admitted he was a bit overwhelmed.

"I
don't think there's anything that can prepare you for it," Ash said,
calling it his lowest point of the season and one he was determined to
learn from. "Most people rebound from their lowest point. Everyone wants
to get up."

Oklahoma players see a quarterback who picked himself up and got better.

"They
just look very confident in everything they do," Sooners cornerback
Aaron Colvin said. "It seems like the coach puts a lot of trust in him
and everything kind of revolves around him. I'm very pressed with what
he's been doing this year."

One thing Texas
coaches liked about Ash in the loss was seeing him throw a late
touchdown pass. He still split time with McCoy the rest of season, but
gradually started taking over the position.

Ash has been so good
this season that it made his one blunder — a big one — that much more
surprising. Trailing by three late against West Virginia, Texas
got the ball after a fumble at the Mountaineers 12 with a chance to
take the lead with a touchdown or tie the game with a field goal.

But
facing third-and-8, Ash let the play clock run down to 1, then turned
his head just as the shotgun snap sailed by and the play ended in a
16-yard loss. The Longhorns missed the field goal and ended up losing
48-45.

Some fans blamed center Dominic Espinosa for the miscue. Ash took the blame but said it's time to move on.

"That was my fault. It's in the past," Ash said. "It's time to move forward. If you haven't moved forward, I have. Hop on."

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